On the way back, Zhao Chun and Zheng Chenqing walked side by side, and they did not encounter any more Yang Water Sect disciples.
"Senior Brother, you weren't attacked?"
Logically speaking, Zheng Chenqing's reputation was certainly greater than hers. If the Yang Water Sect was targeting True Spirit Sect disciples, he should have been the first one to bear the brunt of it. Zheng Chenqing's expression was grave as he slowly shook his head.
"I was not."
"We can ask the other Senior Brothers and Sisters when we get back. If none of them were attacked, then we can be certain that this person was acting on his own."
Zhao Chun had only just revealed her strength to the outside world during the Dao Discourse with the Long Plain Sect. If the Yang Water Sect had truly decided to move against her, they must have gotten the news from the other sects that had been observing that day.
"I'm more inclined to believe he was acting on his own," Zheng Chenqing said in a low voice.
"The Yang Water Sect has always acted with caution. They won't make a move without complete confidence. Even though Junior Sister is in the Qi Refining Stage, to ensure success, they would definitely send a Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator to make it foolproof. From what Junior Sister said, this person had just recently entered Foundation Establishment and hadn't even learned the Incarnation Technique. It's impossible that the Yang Water Sect would dispatch someone with such an unstable foundation to attack a Realm-Entering Sword Cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining."
Zhao Chun also agreed with this reasoning. Among those from the Yang Water Sect who had come this time, there were ten Late Foundation Establishment cultivators. If she had encountered any one of them today, she would have died with grievances on the spot.
How could she have had the chance to counter-attack and kill him? After asking in detail on the way back, Zhao Chun learned that Zheng Chenqing also had a Spiritual Object on his person and had already built his Spiritual Foundation and completed his breakthrough inside his Cultivation Cave.
They had both entered the sect at the same time, yet he had already stepped into Foundation Establishment while she herself was also approaching this realm. The vision from the spirit testing on the day they joined the sect felt as if it were just yesterday, making one sigh with emotion.
Jiang Yun had once told her about True Spirit disciples perishing outside the sect, but Zheng Chenqing now explained it to her in detail. This matter could actually be traced back to several years ago, not long after the two of them had joined the sect. At first, it was low-level Qi Refining disciples from the Outer Sect.
Later on, the cultivation bases of the victims grew higher and higher. By the time the sect began its patrols, even Foundation Establishment cultivators were perishing one after another, and the Qi Refining disciples under the elders also frequently met a vicious end. To say they perished was an understatement; in truth, not even their bodies could be found.
Only their Life Candles, which were kept in the sect, had been extinguished, signifying that their bodies had died and their Daos had dissipated. The situation only improved after the patrols were dispatched. And it was precisely because of the order for a detailed investigation that they discovered traces of Gu-Worms on the few bodies they managed to find.
Only then was the Yang Water Sect's conspiracy revealed.
"To dare act like this within our sect's territory, they are truly without scruples, audacious to the extreme."
Zheng Chenqing knew more details than others, precisely because he was Qiu Jianying's Junior Brother and was thus able to learn the inside story. The murder of his fellow disciples left him filled with grief and rage. Zhao Chun sighed softly, a doubt rising in her heart.
The Yang Water Sect acted cautiously, so how could they have left bodies behind to be found, and with traces of Gu-Worms on them at that? There was likely a hidden story behind it. She set this matter aside for now.
The half-piece of a spherical metal in her hand, however, was of utmost importance. The Yang Water Sect cultivator had thrown this object, forcing Zhao Chun to retreat slightly, which gave him the opportunity to swallow his Life Gu. After he self-detonated, Zhao Chun had picked up this fragment from the ground.
She vaguely felt that it was extremely similar to items made by the Everglow Sect, but she couldn't be certain. Among the people she was familiar with, Liu Xuan was the most knowledgeable and well-informed. It would be best to hand it over to her for inspection before reporting it.
The two returned to the True Spirit Sect's residence. The room was unexpectedly filled with disciples. Seeing the two of them enter, they were quickly called over to take a seat.
Taking a closer look, she saw Du Fanzhi sitting there with a worried expression, his fists clenched tightly. Beside him, Jiang Yun's face was pale and his aura was unstable; he was clearly injured.
"Senior Brother Du, what... what happened?"
Zheng Chenqing asked hurriedly, alarmed and uncertain. Du Fanzhi's brow was deeply furrowed.
"Three days ago, when Senior Brother Jiang was returning from the Martial Arts Platform, he was jointly attacked by three Foundation Establishment disciples from the Yang Water Sect. He only managed to escape after killing one of them. He was severely injured and has only recovered slightly today."
The worry in his eyes deepened.
"According to what the Yang Water disciples said, several others went after Senior Sister Liu. To this day, she still hasn't returned..."
"Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Sister Liu were also attacked!"
"Also?"
Du Fanzhi asked in alarm upon hearing this. Zheng Chenqing nodded and replied, "On her way back, Junior Sister Zhao Chun also encountered a Yang Water disciple. Fortunately, he was only in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment and was defeated by Junior Sister's sword.
However, when the two of us were about to capture him alive, he activated his Life Gu and self-detonated..."
"A fright, but no real danger... a fright, but no real danger..."
Du Fanzhi was also astonished that Zhao Chun could defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator while still in Qi Refining, but the situation was urgent. With Liu Xuan's whereabouts unknown, it really wasn't the time to discuss this in detail.
Zhao Chun had no interest in fame either and spoke up, "The most pressing matter now is to find Senior Sister Liu's whereabouts. The Yang Water Sect has already targeted people from our sect. Traveling alone is no different from seeking death.
We must travel in groups to look out for each other."
"That's exactly right."
Du Fanzhi nodded in agreement.
"I suggest that the Qi Refining disciples and Junior Brother Zheng all remain at the residence and wait for the elders to return. As for us Late Foundation Establishment cultivators, Senior Brother Jiang is injured and it's inconvenient for him to go, so he will also stay behind. The rest of us, including myself, eight people in total, will split into two teams. If Senior Sister Liu has not returned by sunset, we will all go out to search for her!"
He was a disciple of Li Su and had also assisted with the Hundred Sects Assembly. Moreover, his strength was second only to Liu Xuan and Jiang Yun. Everyone had great faith in him, so they naturally agreed with his words.
After the plan was decided, all that was left was an anxious wait. As the sun neared dusk, there was still no sign of anyone at the door. When the sun was halfway down the mountain, Du Fanzhi had already risen from his seat, about to go out and search, when a graceful figure suddenly approached.
"Senior Sister Liu?" he whispered.
The figure drew closer, but it was not someone that anyone present recognized. She was dressed in a black robe with silver patterns, her features were as beautiful as a painting, and her posture was graceful.
With a beaming smile on her face, she congratulated them as soon as she entered, "Congratulations to your sect's Elder Qiu for achieving third place in the Soaring Skies Tournament, and to Elder Huo for achieving one hundred and fifty-seventh place!" The Soaring Skies Tournament was the elegant name for the Core Formation battles.
For Qiu Jianying to overcome the masses and seize third place among so many Core Formation cultivators was truly a supreme achievement. Huo Zixun had only just entered the Core Formation Stage and only placed one hundred and fifty-seventh, but this was still an extremely brilliant result among Early Core Formation cultivators.
The Message Disciple had expected everyone present to be beaming with joy. However, the disciples before her didn't look happy, nor did they look sad; in short, their expressions were quite complicated. She cupped her hands again and said, "The Soaring Skies Tournament has ended.
Your sect's Core Formation elders will be returning shortly. I still have other sects to inform, so I will take my leave first!" Du Fanzhi returned the courtesy and saw her off.
He then heard a Foundation Establishment disciple say, "Senior Brother Du, since the elders are about to return, and this matter is of great importance, why don't we leave it to the elders to decide? It's better than us going out to search like headless flies!" These words made sense, so Du Fanzhi had everyone sit down and wait.
When the moon was hanging over the treetops, they finally saw the three elders arriving from the sky.
(End of this chapter)